He was sitting across from me at the café, the late afternoon sun casting a golden hue over everything, making the small space feel warmer, more intimate. He had his usual order, a black coffee, and I had my vanilla latte, sipping at it nervously. I wasn’t nervous because of him exactly, more nervous because of how he made me feel without even trying.
We’d known each other for months now, casually at first. A few shared jokes at work, random chats by the coffee machine, and eventually, we began to hang out outside of work. It had always been easy between us, like we’d known each other for longer than we actually had. Today, though, something felt different. There was this soft tension in the air, something unspoken but definitely there, lingering between us.
He leaned forward slightly, gesturing with his hands as he told me about his workout routine, his enthusiasm shining through. I tried to listen, really, but every time he smiled, I got completely lost. That smile, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, how they seemed to light up when I laughed at his jokes—it was hard to focus on anything else. I nodded along to whatever he was saying, but I wasn’t hearing much anymore.
"—and then I almost dropped the weights," he said, laughing at himself. I caught the end of his story, smiling without even knowing what he was laughing about. His laughter was contagious, the kind that made your heart flutter without any real reason.
"You almost dropped them?" I asked, trying to catch up and make it seem like I’d been paying attention.
"Yeah," he replied, leaning back into his chair, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Guess that’s what happens when you try to show off." He grinned, and my stomach flipped.
I laughed again, the sound of it light and genuine, because the image of him trying to impress someone and nearly messing up was somehow endearing. He noticed my laughter, his gaze softening as he looked at me, and for a second, the conversation fell away, leaving just the two of us, sitting there with nothing but the sounds of the busy café and our quiet little world.
"I like it when you laugh like that," he said, his voice quieter than before, more thoughtful.
The comment caught me off guard, my cheeks warming instantly. "Oh… I laugh like this all the time," I replied, brushing it off, though my heart skipped a beat at the sudden shift in his tone.
He shook his head slightly, leaning forward again, resting his forearms on the table. "No, not really. It's… different. Softer, I think." He gave me that smile again, the one that made me forget how to breathe for a second.
I didn’t know what to say to that. My mind was spinning, trying to figure out what this was—what we were. His gaze was lingering longer than usual, his words slower, more deliberate, and my chest felt tight with anticipation.
"You know," I began, hoping to lighten the moment, "I thought you were going to be all serious about your workout routine, but you’ve actually been pretty funny today." I smirked, teasing him slightly, wanting to break the tension but also to see him smile again.
He laughed, shaking his head. "Hey, I can be serious. But I like making you laugh more. It’s better than talking about lifting weights."
There it was again, the softness in his words, the way his attention was fully on me. I couldn’t help but blush, my fingers tracing the edge of my coffee cup as I looked down for a moment, gathering myself.
"You’re good at it," I finally said, meeting his gaze again, and I wasn’t just talking about him being funny anymore.
Something shifted then, the air between us growing heavier with meaning. He didn’t say anything right away, just watched me for a moment, as if he were trying to figure out what I was thinking, or maybe waiting for me to say more.
"I’ve been thinking," he started, his voice a little hesitant, but steady, "that maybe… we could do this more often. You know, hang out, just the two of us. Not as coworkers, but… something more."
My heart raced, the words hanging between us like an open door I’d been waiting for him to unlock. I looked at him, my mind still catching up to the fact that this was happening. He was asking me out, in his own soft, careful way, and it made my heart swell even more.
"I’d like that," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, but the smile that broke across his face told me he’d heard it clearly.
He relaxed into his seat, relief washing over his features, and suddenly everything felt lighter, as though the café had brightened even more. There was still that soft tension, but now it was wrapped in something warmer, something exciting.
We continued talking, but now it was different—easier, with the unspoken feelings finally finding their way into the conversation. His jokes were even funnier now, and every time I laughed, he smiled that way that made me forget the world around us.
When we finally left the café, walking side by side down the quiet street, our hands brushed. I felt him hesitate for a moment before his fingers gently wrapped around mine, and in that simple gesture, everything shifted again.
As we walked, I glanced at him, seeing the same smile that had stolen my focus all afternoon, and I couldn’t help but laugh again, this time because I knew that this was only the beginning of something sweeter than either of us had expected.
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